Furnace body structure and semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

The utility model provides a furnace body structure and semiconductor process equipment, the furnace body structure comprises at least one furnace body unit, each furnace body unit comprises a thermal insulation support main body and an insulation support structure, the thermal insulation support main body is annular, and the insulation support structure is limited and fixed on the inner peripheral side of the thermal insulation support main body; the insulation supporting structure is used for limiting and fixing the heating wire in the space defined by the heat preservation supporting body. According to the scheme, the heating wire is small in deformation and not prone to collapse, the short circuit risk of the heating wire can be reduced, the heating efficiency of the heating wire can be improved, and the service life of the heating wire can be prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of furnace body manufacturing, in particular to a furnace body structure and semiconductor process equipment. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of the photovoltaic industry, the market has increasingly higher requirements for the production capacity of photovoltaic equipment. The diameter and length of the diffusion furnace body, which is the core heating component of photovoltaic equipment, are gradually increasing. The outer diameter of the existing furnace body can reach up to 0.66m, the length is 3.3m, and the process temperature can reach up to 1050℃. In this case, if the traditional mechanical structure is used to install the heating wire, that is, the heating wire is supported by its own weight, there are huge hidden dangers such as the heating wire coming out, collapsing, short circuiting and igniting, and even the quartz tube may be crushed during the process, causing huge losses to the equipment. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the mechanical structure of the furnace body to install the heating wire to meet the needs of large-capacity and high-temperature equipment. Utility Model Content

[0003] The utility model aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, and proposes a furnace body structure and semiconductor process equipment, which can solve the problem in the prior art that the heating wire is supported by its own weight, and there are huge hidden dangers such as the heating wire falling out, collapsing, short circuit and ignition, and meet the needs of large-capacity and high-temperature equipment.

[0004] In order to achieve the purpose of the utility model, a furnace structure is provided, comprising at least one furnace unit, each of which comprises a heat-insulating support body and an insulating support structure.

[0005] Wherein, the thermal insulation support body is annular, and the insulating support structure is fixedly positioned on the inner circumference of the thermal insulation support body;

[0006] The insulating support structure is used to limit and fix the heating wire in the space surrounded by the thermal insulation support body.

[0007] Optionally, the thermal insulation support body comprises an annular ceramic fiberboard.

[0008] Optionally, the inner circumferential surface of the thermal insulation support body is provided with a first limiting structure, and the insulating support structure is provided with a second limiting structure;

[0009] The first limiting structure cooperates with the second limiting structure to limit and fix the insulating support structure on the inner circumference of the thermal insulation support body.

[0010] Optionally, the first limiting structure includes a limiting groove formed on the inner circumferential surface of the thermal insulation support body, and the second limiting structure includes a limiting portion formed on the insulating support structure, and the limiting portion cooperates with the limiting groove to limit and fix the insulating support structure to the inner circumferential side of the thermal insulation support body.

[0011] Optionally, the limiting groove comprises a first groove section and a second groove section sequentially arranged in a direction from the groove bottom to the groove opening, and the width of the first groove section is greater than the width of the second groove section;

[0012] The limiting portion includes a first sub-limiting portion and a second sub-limiting portion, the width of the first sub-limiting portion is greater than the width of the second sub-limiting portion, and the first sub-limiting portion cooperates with the first slot segment, and the second sub-limiting portion cooperates with the second slot segment.

[0013] Optionally, the limiting groove further includes a transition groove section connected between the first groove section and the second groove section, and the width of the transition groove section decreases from the first groove section to the second groove section;

[0014] The limiting portion further includes a transition sub-limiting portion connected between the first sub-limiting portion and the second sub-limiting portion, the width of the transition sub-limiting portion decreases from the first sub-limiting portion to the second sub-limiting portion, and the transition sub-limiting portion cooperates with the transition groove section.

[0015] Optionally, the insulating support structure is multiple and is distributed at intervals along the circumference of the thermal insulation support body;

[0016] There are a plurality of the limiting grooves, and they are matched with the limiting parts of the plurality of insulating support structures in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0017] Optionally, the limiting groove is in a strip shape, and the length direction of the limiting groove is parallel to the axial direction of the thermal insulation support body, and both ends of the limiting groove in the length direction pass through the thermal insulation support body.

[0018] Optionally, the insulating support structure is formed with a plurality of accommodating holes, and the plurality of accommodating holes are arranged at intervals along a direction parallel to the axial direction of the thermal insulation support body;

[0019] The heating wire comprises a plurality of arc segments connected in series end to end, the plurality of arc segments are all arranged to extend along the circumference of the heat-insulating support body, and are passed through the plurality of accommodating holes in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0020] Optionally, the size of the accommodating hole in the radial direction of the thermal insulation support body is larger than the size of the arc-shaped segment in the radial direction of the thermal insulation support body; and / or,

[0021] The dimension of the accommodating hole in the axial direction of the heat-insulating support body is greater than the dimension of the arc-shaped segment in the axial direction of the heat-insulating support body.

[0022] Optionally, the insulating support structure comprises a plurality of support blocks, the plurality of support blocks are stacked in sequence along a direction parallel to the axial direction of the thermal insulation support body, and among the plurality of support blocks, the two support blocks located at both ends are first support blocks, and the support blocks other than the two support blocks located at both ends are second support blocks;

[0023] The first support block is provided with the accommodation hole; and recesses are formed on two surfaces of each of two adjacent second support blocks that overlap each other and together constitute the accommodation hole.

[0024] Optionally, the insulating support structure further comprises a through rod, wherein the through rod penetrates through the plurality of support blocks in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the thermal insulation support body;

[0025] The end surfaces of the two first support blocks facing away from each other are both provided with limiting recesses, and both ends of the through rod are both provided with bending parts, and the two bending parts are respectively located in the two limiting recesses, for limiting and fixing the multiple support blocks.

[0026] Optionally, there are multiple furnace units, which are arranged in sequence along the axial direction of the heat-insulating support body;

[0027] Each of the furnace body units also includes an annular insulating baffle, which is arranged at one end of the thermal insulation support body in its axial direction, and the inner peripheral edge of the insulating baffle protrudes relative to the inner peripheral surface of the thermal insulation support body, and is used to insulate and isolate the heating wire in the thermal insulation support body from the heating wire in another adjacent thermal insulation support body.

[0028] Optionally, there are multiple furnace units, which are arranged in sequence along the axial direction of the heat-insulating support body;

[0029] The thermal insulation support body is also provided with an insulating lead-out piece which passes through its thickness, and the insulating lead-out piece is provided with a lead-out hole, through which the lead-out wire of the heating wire extends to the outside of the thermal insulation support body; the lead-out hole on the insulating lead-out piece and the lead-out hole on the insulating lead-out piece of another adjacent thermal insulation support body are staggered with each other in the circumferential direction of the thermal insulation support body.

[0030] Optionally, the furnace body structure further includes two insulation end covers and a furnace shell, wherein the two insulation end covers are both annular and are respectively arranged at both ends of the at least one furnace body unit; the furnace shell is arranged around the at least one furnace body unit and the outer periphery of the two insulation end covers.

[0031] As another technical solution, the utility model also provides a semiconductor process equipment, including:

[0032] The above furnace structure provided by the utility model;

[0033] A heating wire disposed in the space enclosed by the heat-insulating support body of the furnace unit; and

[0034] The process chamber is arranged in the space surrounded by the heat-insulating support body and located inside the heating wire, and is used for accommodating the wafer boat.

[0035] The utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0036] The furnace structure provided by the utility model can support and limit the insulating support structure to the inner circumference of the insulating support body through the insulating support body, so as to prevent the insulating support structure from being deformed and moved, thereby ensuring the reliability of the insulating support structure and preventing the insulation and support functions from failing. On this basis, the insulating support structure is combined with the insulating support structure to limit the heating wire to the space surrounded by the insulating support body, that is, the heating wire is fixed to the insulating support body by the insulating support structure, and no longer supported by its own weight, which makes the heating wire less deformable and not easy to collapse, and can reduce the risk of short circuit of the heating wire. Moreover, by fixing the heating wire to the insulating support body by the insulating support structure, the heating wire can be supported and limited by the insulating support structure while being separated from the insulating support body. Compared with the related art in which the heating wire is half buried in the insulating cotton or the insulating block, the heating wire can be almost completely exposed to the space surrounded by the insulating support body, thereby improving the heating efficiency and service life of the heating wire.

[0037] The semiconductor process equipment provided by the utility model adopts the above-mentioned furnace body structure provided by the utility model, which can not only make the heating wire less deformed and not easy to collapse, and reduce the risk of short circuit of the heating wire, but also improve the heating efficiency and service life of the heating wire. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] Figure 1 A structural diagram of a furnace body unit of the furnace body structure provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0039] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the heat-insulating support body used in the embodiment of the utility model;

[0040] Figure 3 A structural diagram of an insulating support structure used in an embodiment of the utility model;

[0041] Figure 4A cross-sectional view of a limiting groove used in an embodiment of the utility model;

[0042] Figure 5 A structural diagram of a first insulating block used in an embodiment of the utility model;

[0043] Figure 6 It is a side view of a furnace body unit of the furnace body structure adopted in the embodiment of the utility model;

[0044] Figure 7 A structural diagram of a second insulating block used in an embodiment of the utility model;

[0045] Figure 8 A partial cross-sectional view of two adjacent furnace body units of the furnace body structure provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0046] Fig. 9 An assembly diagram of multiple furnace body units of the furnace body structure provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0047] Fig.10 A cross-sectional view of a plurality of furnace body units of a furnace body structure provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0048] Fig.11 The overall structural diagram of the furnace structure provided by the embodiment of the utility model;

[0049] Fig.12 A cross-sectional view of a semiconductor process equipment provided by an embodiment of the utility model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the furnace structure provided by the present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0051] In the related art, the heating wire is wound into a cylindrical spiral structure by a single metal wire, and an insulating block is arranged between each adjacent two turns of the coil to insulate and isolate each adjacent two turns of the coil. On this basis, a flexible thermal insulation cotton is wrapped around the heating wire, and a shell is arranged on the periphery of the thermal insulation cotton. In practical applications, the following problems are inevitable, namely: since the heating wire relies on its own weight for support (i.e., it is placed independently without relying on other supporting structures), when a high-temperature process is carried out, as the process temperature increases or decreases, the thermal expansion and contraction of the heating wire and the creep after heating will be particularly obvious, especially after heating, a large amount of thermal stress will be generated with nowhere to release, thereby causing serious deformation of the heating wire, and there are huge hidden dangers such as the heating wire coming out, collapsing, short circuiting and sparking. In addition, the insulating block arranged between each adjacent two turns of the coil is easy to deform and displace with the deformation of the heating wire, and it is difficult to continue to remain in a straight line in the axial direction of the furnace body, which is easy to cause contact short circuits between the coils and produce sparking.

[0052] In addition, the inventors found that the above-mentioned flexible thermal insulation cotton not only did not play any supporting role, but also inevitably had a certain degree of contact with the heating wire. There were even some related technologies in which the heating wire was half buried in the thermal insulation cotton or the thermal insulation block. This made the heating area in the process space smaller after the heating wire heated up, and the heating efficiency was low, which could not meet the high-temperature process requirements.

[0053] The embodiment of the utility model provides a furnace structure, which can be applied to semiconductor process equipment that needs to be heated, such as diffusion furnaces, oxidation furnaces, etc., and is used to keep the heating wire of the semiconductor process equipment warm and fixed. Specifically, the furnace structure includes at least one furnace unit 100, each furnace unit 100 includes a heat-insulating support body 1 and an insulating support structure 2, wherein the heat-insulating support body 1 is annular, and the insulating support structure 2 is limited and fixed to the inner circumference of the heat-insulating support body 1; the insulating support structure 2 is used to limit and fix the heating wire 200 in the space surrounded by the heat-insulating support body 1.

[0054] By limiting and fixing the insulating support structure 2 on the inner side of the insulating support body 1 through the insulating support body 1, the insulating support structure 2 can be supported and limited to avoid deformation and position movement, thereby ensuring the reliability of the insulating support structure 2 and avoiding failure of its insulation and support functions. On this basis, the insulating support structure 2 is used in combination to limit and fix the heating wire 200 in the space surrounded by the insulating support body 1, that is, the heating wire 200 is fixed to the insulating support body 1 by the insulating support structure 2, and is no longer supported by its own weight. This makes the heating wire 200 less deformed and not easy to collapse, and can reduce the risk of short circuit of the heating wire 200. Moreover, by fixing the heating wire on the thermal insulation support body 1 by using the insulating support structure 2, the heating wire 200 can be supported and limited by the insulating support structure 2 while being separated from the thermal insulation support body 1. That is, due to the existence of the insulating support structure 2, there is a gap between the heating wire 200 and the thermal insulation support body 1. Compared with the related art in which the flexible thermal insulation cotton contacts the heating wire 200, or the heating wire 200 is half buried in the thermal insulation cotton or the thermal insulation block, the heating wire 200 can be almost completely exposed to the space surrounded by the thermal insulation support body 1, effectively increasing the heating area, thereby improving the heating efficiency of the heating wire 200, and also having better maintainability, thereby increasing the service life of the heating wire.

[0055] The above-mentioned thermal insulation support body 1 that realizes the functions of heat insulation, limiting and supporting is made of hard thermal insulation material. Since the hard thermal insulation material is hard, it has the characteristics of being hard, not easy to deform, and having strong pressure resistance. This enables the thermal insulation support body 1 to reliably support and limit the insulating support structure 2 and the heating wire 200 on the basis of thermal insulation, thereby solving the problems of the heating wire coming out, collapsing, short-circuiting and igniting due to the self-weight support of the heating wire.

[0056] In some embodiments, the thermal insulation support body 1 includes, for example, an annular ceramic fiberboard, which is one of the above-mentioned hard thermal insulation materials and has both good thermal insulation and pressure resistance. Preferably, the raw materials of the ceramic fiberboard may include the following components: 80% to 84% alumina and 15% to 20% silicon dioxide. The minimum compressive strength of the ceramic fiberboard can reach more than 0.5 MPa, and it is a hard thermal insulation material with good pressure resistance. Of course, in actual applications, the thermal insulation support body 1 can also be made of other hard thermal insulation materials, as long as it can reliably support the insulating support structure 2 and the heating wire 200, and the embodiments of the utility model are not limited to this.

[0057] In some embodiments, the material of the insulating support structure 2 includes ceramics. Of course, it can also use other high-temperature resistant insulating materials with a certain strength to insulate, support and limit the heating wire 200.

[0058] There are many ways to position and fix the insulating support structure 2 to the inner circumference of the thermal insulation support body 1. For example, a first position-limiting structure is provided on the inner circumference of the thermal insulation support body 1, and a second position-limiting structure is provided on the insulating support structure 2; the first position-limiting structure cooperates with the second position-limiting structure to position and fix the insulating support structure 2 to the inner circumference of the thermal insulation support body 1. Further, as Figure 2 As shown, the first limiting structure includes, for example, a limiting groove 11 formed on the inner circumference of the heat-insulating support body 1. Figure 3 As shown, the second limiting structure includes, for example, a limiting portion 22 formed on the insulating support structure 2, and the limiting portion 22 cooperates with the limiting groove 11 to limit and fix the insulating support structure 2 to the inner circumference of the thermal insulation support body 1. Specifically, the shape and size of the limiting portion 22 are adapted to the shape and size of the limiting groove 11 to fix the limiting portion 22 in the limiting groove 11. The first limiting structure and the second limiting structure that realize the above-mentioned limiting and fixing function can also adopt other limiting structures, as long as the insulating support structure 2 can be limited and fixed to the inner circumference of the thermal insulation support body 1.

[0059] In some embodiments, the furnace body structure provided by the embodiment of the utility model is applied to a horizontal diffusion furnace. In this case, the axial direction of the thermal insulation support body 1 is parallel to the horizontal plane. At this time, under the action of the limiting portion 22 cooperating with the limiting groove 11, the insulating support structure 2 is equivalent to being suspended on the thermal insulation support body 1. Of course, in practical applications, the furnace body structure provided by the embodiment of the utility model can also be applied to a vertical diffusion furnace. In this case, the axial direction of the thermal insulation support body 1 is perpendicular to the horizontal plane. At this time, on the basis of the matching of the limiting portion 22 with the limiting groove 11, a limiting member needs to be additionally provided to lock the limiting portion 22 at a corresponding height in the limiting groove 11. Alternatively, a limiting groove 11 with a blind end at the lower end can also be used to lock the limiting portion 22 at a corresponding height.

[0060] In some embodiments, in order to facilitate the installation of the heating wire 200 and reduce the difficulty of processing the insulating support structure 2, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 As shown, the insulating support structure 2 includes a plurality of support blocks 21, and the plurality of support blocks 21 are stacked in sequence along a direction parallel to the axial direction of the thermal insulation support body 1. In this case, the above-mentioned limiting portion 22 is composed of a sub-limiting portion 221 arranged at one end of each support block 21, and the sub-limiting portions 221 on the plurality of support blocks 21 are stacked in sequence parallel to the axial direction of the thermal insulation support body 1, and the cross-sectional profile shape on the radial section of the thermal insulation support body 1 is the same. In practical applications, the sub-limiting portion 221 arranged at one end of the support block 21 can be connected as a whole.

[0061] Furthermore, in some embodiments, Figure 4 As shown, the limiting groove 11 includes a first groove section 11a and a second groove section 11c arranged in sequence from the groove bottom to the groove mouth, and the width B1 of the first groove section 11a is greater than the width B2 of the second groove section 11c. The widths B1 and B2 are respectively the dimensions of the first groove section 11a and the second groove section 11c on the radial cross section of the thermal insulation support body 1, perpendicular to the groove depth direction. And, as Figure 5As shown, taking the sub-limiting portion 221 on one of the support blocks 21 as an example, the limiting portion 22 includes a first sub-limiting portion and a second sub-limiting portion, the first sub-limiting portion is composed of a plurality of first sub-limiting blocks 221a on the support blocks 21, and the first sub-limiting blocks 221a on the support blocks 21 are stacked in sequence parallel to the axial direction of the thermal insulation support body 1; the second sub-limiting portion is composed of a plurality of second sub-limiting blocks 221c on the support blocks 21, and the second sub-limiting blocks 221c on the support blocks 21 are stacked in sequence parallel to the axial direction of the thermal insulation support body 1. Furthermore, the width of the first sub-limiting portion (i.e., the width of the first sub-limiting block 221a) is greater than the width of the second sub-limiting portion 22 (i.e., the width of the second sub-limiting block 221c), and the first sub-limiting portion (composed of a plurality of first sub-limiting blocks 221a) cooperates with the first slot section 11a, and the second sub-limiting portion (composed of a plurality of second sub-limiting blocks 221c) cooperates with the second slot section 11c. Figure 6 As shown, by making the width of the first slot section 11a greater than the width of the second slot section 11c, and the width of the first sub-limiting portion greater than the width of the second sub-limiting portion, the first sub-limiting portion cannot be directly moved out through the second slot section 11c, so that the limiting portion 22 can be limited in the limiting groove 11. On this basis, the insulating support structure 2 composed of a plurality of support blocks 21 is located outside the limiting groove 11, that is, located in the space surrounded by the thermal insulation support body 1, so that the heating wire 200 can be limited and fixed. On this basis, since the heating wire 200 is indirectly fixed to the thermal insulation support body 1 through the insulating support structure 2, the heating wire 200 is almost completely exposed to the space surrounded by the thermal insulation support body 1, which effectively increases the heating area, thereby improving the heating efficiency of the heating wire 200, and also has better maintainability, thereby improving the service life of the heating wire.

[0062] In some embodiments, in order to avoid stress concentration at the connection between the first sub-limiting portion (composed of multiple first sub-limiting blocks 221a) and the second sub-limiting portion (composed of multiple second sub-limiting blocks 221c), the limiting groove 11 also includes a transition groove section 11b connected between the first groove section 11a and the second groove section 11c, and the width of the transition groove section 11b decreases from the first groove section 11a to the second groove section 11c; the limiting portion 22 also includes a transition sub-limiting portion (composed of multiple third sub-limiting blocks 221b stacked in sequence along a direction parallel to the axial direction of the thermal insulation support body 1) connected between the first sub-limiting portion and the second sub-limiting portion, and the width of the transition sub-limiting portion decreases from the first sub-limiting portion to the second sub-limiting portion, and the transition sub-limiting portion cooperates with the transition groove section 11b. It should be noted that the shape of the above-mentioned transition groove segment 11b on the radial cross-section of the thermal insulation support body 1 is, for example, an isosceles trapezoid, that is, the side surface of the transition groove segment 11b is a plane, but the embodiment of the utility model is not limited to this. In actual applications, the side surface of the above-mentioned transition groove segment 11b can also be an arc surface, which can also solve the above-mentioned stress concentration problem.

[0063] In some embodiments, in order to evenly fix the heating wire 200 in the circumferential direction of the heating wire 200 and ensure that the heating wire 200 does not produce a large deformation at various positions in the circumferential direction, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 6 As shown, there are multiple insulating support structures 2 , which are spaced apart along the circumference of the thermal insulation support body 1 ; and there are multiple limiting grooves 11 , which are matched with the limiting portions 22 of the multiple insulating support structures 2 in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0064] In some embodiments, in order to facilitate the installation of the limiting portion 22 in the limiting groove 11, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown, the limiting groove 11 is strip-shaped, and the length direction of the limiting groove 11 is parallel to the axial direction of the thermal insulation support body 1, and both ends of the limiting groove 11 in the length direction pass through the thermal insulation support body 1, that is, the limiting groove 11 has openings at both ends in the length direction, and the limiting portion 22 can be moved into the limiting groove 11 from the opening.

[0065] In some embodiments, there are many ways to use the insulating support structure 2 to limit and fix the heating wire 200 in the space surrounded by the thermal insulation support body 1, for example, Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 7 As shown, the insulating support structure 2 is formed with a plurality of accommodating holes 23, and the plurality of accommodating holes 23 are arranged at intervals along a direction parallel to the axial direction of the thermal insulation support body 1; Figure 8As shown, the heating wire 200 includes a plurality of arc segments 200a connected end to end, and the plurality of arc segments 200a are all arranged along the circumferential extension of the heat-insulating support body 1, and are pierced through a plurality of accommodating holes 23 in a one-to-one correspondence. Under the limiting and fixing action of the accommodating holes 23, on the one hand, it can ensure that the heating wire 200 is greatly deformed, and the heating wire 200 is prevented from coming out and collapsing, and the insulation isolation between each two adjacent arc segments 200a can be maintained to prevent the two from contacting and short-circuiting, resulting in sparking. On the other hand, the heating wire 200 is almost completely exposed in the space surrounded by the heat-insulating support body 1, which can improve the heating efficiency and service life of the heating wire 200 compared with the related art in which the heating wire 200 is half-buried in the heat-insulating cotton or the heat-insulating block.

[0066] The heating wire 200 may have various structures. In some embodiments, for example Figure 8 As shown, multiple arc segments 200a are connected end to end to form a columnar spiral structure. However, the embodiment of the utility model is not limited to this. In practical applications, multiple arc segments 200a can also be non-closed arc segments, and each adjacent arc segment can be connected end to end through a transition segment.

[0067] In some embodiments, in order to reserve a certain space for the thermal expansion of the arc segment 200a after heating and reduce the thermal stress caused by the insulation support structure 2 binding the heating wire 200, the size of the accommodating hole 23 in the radial direction of the thermal insulation support body 1 is larger than the size of the arc segment 200a in the radial direction of the thermal insulation support body 1; and / or, the size of the accommodating hole 23 in the axial direction of the thermal insulation support body 1 is larger than the size of the arc segment 200a in the axial direction of the thermal insulation support body 1. According to the amount of thermal expansion generated by the arc segment 200a in different directions after heating, the above-mentioned accommodating hole 23 can be an oblong hole or an elliptical hole, and the length direction of the accommodating hole 23 is, for example, along the radial direction of the thermal insulation support body 1.

[0068] In some embodiments, in order to facilitate the installation of the heating wire 200 and reduce the difficulty of processing the insulating support structure 2, the insulating support structure 2 includes a plurality of support blocks 21, and the plurality of support blocks 21 are stacked in sequence along a direction parallel to the axial direction of the thermal insulation support body 1. Figure 3 As shown, among the plurality of support blocks 21, the two support blocks 21 located at both ends are first support blocks 21a, and the support blocks 21 other than the two support blocks 21 located at both ends (ie, the first support blocks 21a) are second support blocks 21b; Figure 5 As shown, the first support block 21a is provided with a receiving hole 23; Figure 3 and Figure 7As shown, the two surfaces of each of the two adjacent second support blocks 21b that overlap each other are both formed with a recess 231, and the two adjacent recesses 231 together constitute a receiving hole 23. Since the rate of rise and fall of the process temperature of the heating wire 200 at the position of the arc segment 200a of the outermost circle in the axial direction thereof varies greatly, the arc segment 200a of the outermost circle is prone to large deformation and collapse. In this regard, by providing a complete receiving hole 23 on the two support blocks 21 (i.e., the first support block 21a) at both ends, that is, providing a complete receiving hole 23 on one support block 21, the arc segment 200a of the outermost circle can be more reliably limited and fixed. In addition, the recess 231 of the support block 21 (i.e., the second support block 21b) other than the two support blocks 21 at both ends forms a receiving hole 23 by docking with the recess 231 of the adjacent second support block 21b, which can not only make the installation of the heating wire 200 simpler, but also reduce the processing difficulty of the insulating support structure 2. Preferably, in order to further simplify the installation of the heating wire 200, as Figure 3 As shown, the receiving hole 23 formed by the butt joint of the concave portions 231 between the adjacent second supporting blocks 21 b has a gap at the butt joint.

[0069] In some embodiments, in order to fix the multiple support blocks 21 together and keep them in a straight line in the axial direction of the thermal insulation support body 1, the insulation support structure 2 further includes a through rod, which penetrates the multiple support blocks 21 in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the thermal insulation support body 1. Specifically, Figure 7 As shown, each of the plurality of support blocks 21 (including the first support block 21a and the second support block 21b) is provided with a corresponding through hole 25 for the through rod to pass through, and the through rod connects all the support blocks 21 in series via the through holes 25. Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, the end faces of the two first support blocks 21a facing away from each other are also provided with a limiting recess 24, and both ends of the through rod are provided with a bending portion 26, and the two bending portions 26 are respectively located in the two limiting recesses 24, which are used to limit and fix the multiple support blocks 21. The provision of the two bending portions 26 can prevent the support block 21 from falling out of one end of the through rod, and limit the multiple support blocks 21 between the two bending portions 26. Specifically, as Figure 3 As shown, the limiting recess 24 is formed with an opening on the sub-limiting portion 221, and the bent portion 26 extends from the opening. It should be noted that the insulating support structure 2 is limited and fixed to the inner circumference of the thermal insulation support body 1 by the thermal insulation support body 1, which can effectively prevent the deformation of the penetration rod caused by thermal expansion and contraction, and reduce the probability of the penetration rod becoming thinner and longer due to friction and generating sparks with the heating wire 200.

[0070] In some embodiments, Figure 2 , Figure 8 and Fig. 9As shown, there are multiple furnace body units 100, and they are arranged in sequence along the axial direction of the thermal insulation support body 1; and each furnace body unit 100 also includes a ring-shaped insulating baffle 4, which is arranged at one end of the thermal insulation support body 1 in its axial direction, and the inner peripheral edge of the insulating baffle 4 protrudes relative to the inner peripheral surface of the thermal insulation support body 1, and is used to insulate and isolate the heating wire 200 in the thermal insulation support body 1 from the heating wire 200 in another adjacent thermal insulation support body 1. With the help of the above-mentioned insulating baffle 4, it can be prevented that the heating wires 200 between two adjacent furnace body units 100 will not contact and short-circuit after thermal expansion is generated during heating. In some embodiments, the material of the insulating baffle 4 includes a hard ceramic plate, the main component of which is, for example, a material with a density greater than 820kg / m 3 The hard ceramic plate has greater strength, so that adjacent heating wires 200 can be more reliably kept apart when thermal expansion occurs, thereby avoiding overlapping contact between the two and sparking.

[0071] In some embodiments, Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Fig. 9 As shown, the insulation support body 1 is also provided with an insulating lead-out piece 3 that penetrates through its thickness, and a lead-out hole 12 is provided on the insulation lead-out piece 3. The lead-out wire of the heating wire 200 extends to the outside of the insulation support body 1 through the lead-out hole 12 so as to be connected to the power supply. Specifically, a connection terminal 31 is provided in the lead-out hole 12, and the connection terminal 31 is used to electrically connect the power supply to the lead-out wire of the heating wire 200. In addition, two lead-out holes 12 can be provided on each insulation lead-out piece 3, which are used to lead out the positive lead-out wire and the negative lead-out wire of the heating wire 200 respectively, and at the same time limit the lead-out position to reduce welding errors. In this case, the insulation lead-out piece 3 is strip-shaped and extends in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the insulation support body 1, and the two lead-out holes 12 are respectively provided at the two ends of the insulation lead-out piece 3 in the axial direction of the insulation support body 1, so as to correspond to the positions of the positive lead-out wire and the negative lead-out wire of the heating wire 200 respectively. Optionally, the material of the connecting terminal 31 is the same as that of the heating wire 200 , for example, an electric heating alloy.

[0072] Furthermore, when there are multiple furnace units 100, Fig. 9 As shown, the lead-out hole 12 on the insulating lead-out piece 3 and the lead-out hole 12 on the insulating lead-out piece 3 of another adjacent thermal insulation support body 1 are staggered in the circumferential direction of the thermal insulation support body 1, that is, the adjacent insulating lead-out pieces 3 are staggered in the circumferential direction of the thermal insulation support body 1. In this way, it is possible to avoid the voltage between the two adjacent connecting terminals 31 breaking through the air and thus causing sparks due to the connection terminals 31 on the adjacent insulating lead-out pieces 3 being too close. Preferably, the angle at which the adjacent insulating lead-out pieces 3 are staggered in the circumferential direction of the thermal insulation support body 1 is greater than or equal to 20°.

[0073] In some embodiments, Fig.10 and Fig.11 As shown, the furnace structure also includes two insulation end covers 5 and a furnace shell 6, wherein the two insulation end covers 5 are both annular and are respectively arranged at both ends of at least one furnace unit 100; the furnace shell 6 is arranged around at least one furnace unit 100 and the outer periphery of the two insulation end covers 5. The two insulation end covers 5 are used to play a role in heat preservation at both ends of at least one furnace unit 100, and the furnace shell 6 is used to accommodate multiple furnace units 100 therein to form an integral structure. In addition, as Fig.11 As shown, each connection terminal 31 passes through the furnace shell 6 and extends to the outside of the furnace shell 6 for being electrically connected to an external power supply.

[0074] To sum up, the furnace body structure provided by the embodiment of the utility model, which limits and fixes the insulating support structure 2 on the inner side of the insulating support body 1 through the insulating support body 1, can support and limit the insulating support structure 2 to prevent it from deformation and position movement, thereby ensuring the reliability of the insulating support structure 2 and preventing its insulation and support functions from failing. On this basis, the insulating support structure 2 is used in combination to limit and fix the heating wire 200 in the space enclosed by the insulating support body 1, that is, the heating wire 200 is fixed to the insulating support body 1 by using the insulating support structure 2, and is no longer supported by its own weight, which makes the heating wire 200 less deformed and not easy to collapse, and can reduce the risk of short circuit of the heating wire 200. Moreover, by fixing the heating wire 200 on the thermal insulation support body 1 by means of the insulating support structure 2, the heating wire 200 can be supported and limited by the insulating support structure 2 while being separated from the thermal insulation support body 1. Compared with the related art in which the heating wire 200 is half-buried in the thermal insulation cotton or the thermal insulation block, the heating wire 200 can be almost completely exposed to the space enclosed by the thermal insulation support body 1, thereby improving the heating efficiency and service life of the heating wire 200.

[0075] As another technical solution, Fig.12 As shown, the embodiment of the utility model further provides a semiconductor process equipment, which is, for example, a diffusion furnace, an oxidation furnace, etc., and includes a furnace structure, a heating wire 200 arranged in the space surrounded by the heat preservation support body 1 in each furnace unit 100 of the furnace structure, and a process cavity 300, wherein the process cavity 300 is arranged in the space surrounded by the heat preservation support body 1 in a plurality of furnace units 100, and is located inside the heating wire 200, and is used to form a process space and accommodate a wafer boat 400. The process cavity 300 is, for example, a quartz tube. The above-mentioned furnace structure adopts the above-mentioned furnace structure provided by the utility model.

[0076] In some embodiments, the heating wire 200 is made of, for example, an electrothermal alloy, and is used to convert electrical energy into thermal energy when supplied with power by a power source, so as to heat the wafer boat 400 in the process chamber 300 .

[0077] In addition, by providing a plurality of furnace units 100 , the heating power of the heating wire 200 corresponding to each furnace unit 100 can be individually controlled to achieve zoned control of the process space temperature, thereby improving the temperature uniformity in the process space and further improving the process uniformity.

[0078] The semiconductor process equipment provided by the utility model adopts the above-mentioned furnace body structure provided by the utility model, which can not only make the heating wire 200 less deformed and not easy to collapse, and reduce the short circuit risk of the heating wire 200, but also improve the heating efficiency and service life of the heating wire 200.

[0079] It is understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments used to illustrate the principles of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A furnace structure, characterized in that: The furnace comprises at least one furnace unit, each of which comprises a heat-insulating support body and an insulating support structure, wherein the heat-insulating support body is annular, and the insulating support structure is fixedly positioned on the inner circumference of the heat-insulating support body; The insulating support structure is used to limit and fix the heating wire in the space surrounded by the thermal insulation support body.

2. The furnace structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heat-insulating support body comprises an annular ceramic fiberboard.

3. The furnace structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner circumference of the thermal insulation support body is provided with a first limiting structure, and the insulating support structure is provided with a second limiting structure; The first limiting structure cooperates with the second limiting structure to limit and fix the insulating support structure on the inner circumference of the thermal insulation support body.

4. The furnace structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first limiting structure includes a limiting groove, and the second limiting structure includes a limiting portion formed on the insulating support structure, and the limiting portion cooperates with the limiting groove to limit and fix the insulating support structure to the inner circumference of the thermal insulation support body.

5. The furnace structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: The limiting groove comprises a first groove section and a second groove section arranged in sequence from the groove bottom to the groove opening, and the width of the first groove section is greater than the width of the second groove section; The limiting portion includes a first sub-limiting portion and a second sub-limiting portion, the width of the first sub-limiting portion is greater than the width of the second sub-limiting portion, and the first sub-limiting portion cooperates with the first slot segment, and the second sub-limiting portion cooperates with the second slot segment.

6. The furnace structure according to claim 5, characterized in that: The limiting groove further includes a transition groove section connected between the first groove section and the second groove section, and the width of the transition groove section decreases from the first groove section to the second groove section; The limiting portion further includes a transition sub-limiting portion connected between the first sub-limiting portion and the second sub-limiting portion, the width of the transition sub-limiting portion decreases from the first sub-limiting portion to the second sub-limiting portion, and the transition sub-limiting portion cooperates with the transition groove section.

7. The furnace structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: The insulating support structures are multiple and are distributed at intervals along the circumference of the thermal insulation support body; There are a plurality of the limiting grooves, and they are matched with the limiting parts of the plurality of insulating support structures in a one-to-one correspondence.

8. The furnace structure according to claim 7, characterized in that: The limiting groove is in a strip shape, and the length direction of the limiting groove is parallel to the axial direction of the heat-insulating support body, and both ends of the limiting groove in the length direction pass through the heat-insulating support body.

9. The furnace structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The insulating support structure is formed with a plurality of accommodating holes, and the plurality of accommodating holes are arranged at intervals along a direction parallel to the axial direction of the thermal insulation support body; The heating wire comprises a plurality of arc segments connected in series end to end, the plurality of arc segments are all arranged to extend along the circumference of the heat-insulating support body, and are passed through the plurality of accommodating holes in a one-to-one correspondence.

10. The furnace structure according to claim 9, characterized in that: The radial dimension of the accommodating hole of the heat-insulating support body is larger than the radial dimension of the arc-shaped segment of the heat-insulating support body; and / or, The dimension of the accommodating hole in the axial direction of the heat-insulating support body is greater than the dimension of the arc-shaped segment in the axial direction of the heat-insulating support body.

11. The furnace structure according to claim 9, characterized in that: The insulating support structure comprises a plurality of support blocks, wherein the plurality of support blocks are stacked in sequence along a direction parallel to the axial direction of the thermal insulation support body, and among the plurality of support blocks, the two support blocks located at both ends are first support blocks, and the support blocks other than the two support blocks located at both ends are second support blocks; The first support block is provided with the accommodation hole; and recesses are formed on two surfaces of each of two adjacent second support blocks that overlap each other and together constitute the accommodation hole.

12. The furnace structure according to claim 11, characterized in that: The insulating support structure further comprises a through rod, wherein the through rod penetrates through the plurality of support blocks in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the thermal insulation support body; The end surfaces of the two first support blocks facing away from each other are both provided with limiting recesses, and both ends of the through rod are both provided with bending parts, and the two bending parts are respectively located in the two limiting recesses, for limiting and fixing the multiple support blocks.

13. The furnace structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The furnace body units are multiple and are arranged in sequence along the axial direction of the heat-insulating support body; Each of the furnace body units also includes an annular insulating baffle, which is arranged at one end of the thermal insulation support body in its axial direction, and the inner peripheral edge of the insulating baffle protrudes relative to the inner peripheral surface of the thermal insulation support body, and is used to insulate and isolate the heating wire in the thermal insulation support body from the heating wire in another adjacent thermal insulation support body.

14. The furnace structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The furnace body units are multiple and are arranged in sequence along the axial direction of the heat-insulating support body; The thermal insulation support body is also provided with an insulating lead-out piece which passes through its thickness, and the insulating lead-out piece is provided with a lead-out hole, through which the lead-out wire of the heating wire extends to the outside of the thermal insulation support body; the lead-out hole on the insulating lead-out piece and the lead-out hole on the insulating lead-out piece of another adjacent thermal insulation support body are staggered with each other in the circumferential direction of the thermal insulation support body.

15. The furnace structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The furnace structure also includes two insulation end covers and a furnace shell, wherein the two insulation end covers are both annular and are respectively arranged at both ends of the at least one furnace unit; the furnace shell is arranged around the at least one furnace unit and the outer periphery of the two insulation end covers.

16. A semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: include: The furnace structure according to any one of claims 1 to 15; A heating wire disposed in the space enclosed by the heat-insulating support body of the furnace unit; as well as The process chamber is arranged in the space surrounded by the heat-insulating support body and located inside the heating wire, and is used for accommodating the wafer boat.

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